THE SOVEREIGN SELF EXPERIENCE

                                  INSTITUTIONAL LEGAL, ETHICS & RISK FRAMEWORK

Internal Governance Document: Applies to: Founders, Facilitators, Staff, Cohorts

I. INSTITUTIONAL POSITIONING

The Sovereign Self Experience is:

A developmental mentorship ecosystem.
A behavioral authority training container.
A competency-based progression system.

It is not:

• Psychotherapy
• Trauma treatment
• Crisis intervention
• Clinical mental health care
• Medical care
• Substance abuse treatment
• A replacement for licensed therapy

All institutional language must reflect this distinction.

No facilitator may imply therapeutic treatment.

II. SCOPE OF PRACTICE

Permitted Scope

The institution provides:

• Behavioral awareness training
• Emotional regulation frameworks
• Relational authority development
• Leadership execution discipline
• Structured reflection tools

Prohibited Scope

Facilitators may not:

• Diagnose mental health conditions
• Provide trauma therapy
• Offer clinical treatment
• Process traumatic memory in depth
• Provide psychiatric advice
• Treat panic disorders
• Treat depression
• Provide medical recommendations

If a participant requires clinical support:

Referral is mandatory.

III. PARTICIPANT ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

Participants must:

• Be emotionally stable at time of enrollment
• Not be in acute psychological crisis
• Not require active trauma stabilization
• Be capable of behavioral accountability
• Accept competency-based advancement

The institution reserves the right to:

Pause participation.
Decline admission.
Remove participants.

At its sole discretion.

IV. INFORMED CONSENT STRUCTURE

All participants must acknowledge:

1. This program is developmental, not therapeutic.

2. Emotional discomfort may occur.

3. Advancement is competency-based.

4. Removal may occur if standards are violated.

5. No refunds once program begins.

6. Crisis situations require external support.

Signed digital acknowledgment required prior to Orientation.

V. CONFIDENTIALITY STANDARD

Within Cohort:

• Participants agree not to share personal disclosures externally.
• Facilitators maintain confidentiality except when risk is present.

Exceptions to confidentiality:

• Threat of harm to self
• Threat of harm to others
• Legal subpoena
• Mandatory reporting laws

Confidentiality is behavioral — not absolute.

VI. RISK CLASSIFICATION

The institution recognizes three risk tiers:

Tier 1: Developmental Discomfort (Expected)

Examples:

• Shame exposure
• Conflict discomfort
• Boundary anxiety
• Authority challenge

Action:

Normal ARC-based processing.
No escalation required.

Tier 2: Destabilization Risk

Examples:

• Panic spikes
• Dissociation signs
• Emotional flooding
• Persistent shame collapse

Action:

Private facilitator intervention.
Possible temporary pause.
Referral recommended if needed.

Tier 3 — Clinical Risk (Immediate)

Examples:

• Suicidal ideation
• Self-harm threats
• Psychotic symptoms
• Severe depressive collapse
• Threats toward others

Action:

Immediate pause.
Crisis protocol activated.
External professional referral required.
Possible permanent removal.

The institution does not treat Tier 3 cases.

VII. REMOVAL POLICY

Ground Principle:

Container integrity supersedes individual participation.

Removal may occur if:

• Repeated Sovereign Standard violations
• Retaliatory aggression
• Persistent triangulation
• Public destabilization
• Refusal of ownership
• Ethical violations
• Clinical instability beyond scope

Removal is:

Immediate
Non-debatable
Non-punitive

Communication remains:

Calm
Brief
Direct

No public explanation beyond:

“Standards were not maintained.”

VIII. FINANCIAL POLICY

• Deposit non-refundable
• All payments final once program begins
• No refunds for partial participation
• Payment does not override standards
• Removal does not trigger refund

The container is not transactional.

IX. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY PROTECTION

All materials are proprietary.

Includes:

• Workbook
• Journal Companion
• ARC framework
• Facilitator manuals
• Scripts
• Structural models

Participants may:

• Apply principles personally
• Reference participation

Participants may not:

• Teach framework
• Repackage content
• Represent themselves as facilitators
• Distribute materials

Violation may result in:

Legal action
Designation revocation

X. DESIGNATION PROTECTION

BTD (Back to Discovery) designation:

Granted upon successful completion.

May be revoked if:

• Public misrepresentation
• Ethical violation
• Teaching without authorization
• Behavior that materially contradicts Sovereign Standard

Revocation is at institutional discretion.

XI. FACILITATOR ETHICS CODE

Facilitators must:

• Maintain professional boundaries
• Avoid dual relationships during cohort
• Avoid romantic involvement with participants
• Avoid financial entanglement
• Avoid emotional dependency formation
• Avoid therapy-role drift

Violations result in removal from facilitation role.

XII. DATA & RECORDS POLICY

The institution maintains:

• Application records
• Advancement decisions
• Incident documentation
• Removal documentation

Records are stored securely.

Access limited to authorized institutional leadership.

XIII. MEDIA & REPRESENTATION POLICY

Participants may not:

• Publicly record sessions
• Share screenshots
• Broadcast discussions
• Quote facilitator materials verbatim

Written consent required for:

• Testimonials
• Public case references
• Media usage

XIV. LIABILITY LIMITATION PRINCIPLE

Participants acknowledge:

• Personal responsibility for behavior
• Personal responsibility for emotional regulation
• Personal responsibility for seeking clinical care

The institution is not liable for:

• Personal relationship changes
• Business outcomes
• Emotional discomfort
• Misapplication of tools
• Participant-to-participant interactions outside structure

Legal counsel should review formal documentation before public deployment.

XV. ETHICAL CONFLICT RESOLUTION

If ethical concerns arise:

1. Private written complaint

2. Internal review

3. Written response

4. Determination issued

No public debate.
No social media mediation.

Institution maintains final authority.

XVI. INSTITUTIONAL INTEGRITY CLAUSE

The Sovereign Self Experience operates under:

Behavioral sovereignty.
Structural containment.
Authority without emotional spectacle.

No institutional decision will be made:

• To avoid discomfort
• To preserve optics
• To appease external pressure

Standards are upheld regardless of sentiment.

XVII. LEGAL REVIEW REQUIREMENT

Before public launch:

• All documents reviewed by licensed attorney
• Financial policy reviewed
• Liability waiver drafted
• Terms of Service written
• Privacy policy created
• Crisis disclaimer formalized

This internal document guides structure.
Formal legal documentation must mirror it.

XVIII. FINAL INSTITUTIONAL PRINCIPLE

This institution protects:

Behavior over emotion.
Standards over comfort.
Integrity over growth speed.
Containment over expansion.

If standards weaken, the ecosystem collapses.

If authority remains disciplined, it endures.

                                                                          DESIGNATION USAGE POLICY

(Sovereign Institute Credentials)

Institutional Governance Document
Applies to: RSE, CSE, SBI Tier III Certified

I. PURPOSE

This policy governs:

• Use of Sovereign Institute designations
• Public representation
• Branding compliance
• Misuse prevention
• Revocation authority

Designation use is a privilege, not ownership.

II. AUTHORIZED DESIGNATIONS

Approved credentials:

RSE — Resident Sovereign Executive
RSE-D — Residency Distinction
CSE — Certified Sovereign Executive
FSI — Fellow of the Sovereign Institute (if awarded)

Only official credential language permitted.

No variations.

III. APPROVED USAGE

Credential holders may:

• Display designation after name
• Include in LinkedIn bio
• Include on CV
• Reference certification year

Example:

Jane Doe, CSE (2026)

or

John Smith, RSE-D

No numeric score disclosure allowed.

IV. PROHIBITED USAGE

Credential holders may not:

• Imply Institute endorsement of services
• Claim to represent or teach the full Sovereign curriculum
• Market themselves as “certified by Sovereign Institute” beyond official designation
• Alter designation language
• Create derivative certifications
• Use Institute logo without written authorization

Violation triggers review.

V. PUBLIC CLAIM LANGUAGE GUIDELINES

Approved public description:

“Certified Sovereign Executive (SBI Tier III), evaluated for behavioral stability under layered leadership stress.”

No superlatives.
No exaggerated claims.

VI. LOGO & BRAND PROTECTION

Institute logo use requires:

• Written approval
• Compliance with brand guidelines
• Proper formatting

Unauthorized logo use subject to legal action.

VII. REVOCATION AUTHORITY

Designation may be revoked if:

• Ethical violation
• Public retaliation behavior
• Misrepresentation of credential
• Sovereign Standard breach
• Institutional damage

Revocation Process:

1. Formal notice issued

2. Review board convened

3. Opportunity for written response

4. Final determination documented

Revocation publicly reflected in directory.

VIII. RENEWAL REQUIREMENTS

Designation valid for 3 years.

Renewal requires:

• No ethical flags
• No revocation incidents
• Optional recalibration simulation (if implemented)

Failure to renew results in inactive status.

Inactive status must not be publicly represented.

IX. LEGAL PROTECTION

The Sovereign Institute retains full intellectual property rights.

Designation does not grant:

• License to teach curriculum
• Authority to certify others
• Ownership of proprietary materials

All misuse subject to cease-and-desist protocol.

X. GOVERNANCE AUTHORITY

Designation oversight governed by:

Sovereign Institute Credentialing Committee

All disputes resolved internally unless legal escalation required.